My Austin Marathon, February 14, 2010

Austin Marathon 2010

Even though I had already run my first 50K trail race at Bandera (January 9, 2010), I had never really completed a traditional road marathon. My home town Austin Marathon on Valentine's Day seemed to be a perfect way to "check that box," and transition into my trail running training for the year. I don't really consider myself a long distance road runner any more but, heck, why not? ...I had most of my long run training under my belt, and there are a lot of things to like about this race!

Austin Marathon web site, The race course

Let me start by describing the "vibe"; I've never been around thousands of runners so excited to run! (the Capitol 10000 probably my closest) So many of these people had been training precisely for this race, a major event in their lives. I felt a little bit like an odd duck, in that regard; my objectives being only to take the marathon slow, avoid injury, and enjoy myself. I decided to wear my trail CamelBak just because I was used carrying it for those distances (for Heed and food, not just for water); kind of like my "safety blanky." Because of that, I would be passing by most of the aid stations; you'd think that would make me faster? And I wore my Newton running shoes (report on that later).

It was a crisp, cool morning, low 40s in front of the Texas Capitol on Congress Avenue. A typical fall pre-race; everybody was shivering at the start but, everyone also knew they would warm up rapidly once running. The temperature would also steadily climb throughout the day. I chatted with my Catapult colleague Eric Russell (he was planning a half marathon PR), and then happened upon some trail running friends; Paula Stevens, her sister Abigail, and their mom. Paula's fiance', Josue', an extremely talented trail runner, was up further in the start crowd. The horn went off, and it took us ~ 10 minutes to get under the starting gate and begin running.

Before I proceed with describing the tedious mechanics of my marathon, I'd like to highlight sights that I found delightfully amusing throughout the day. Because, that's why I was here, to enjoy myself while putting in a decent days' work running a marathon as close to non-stop as possible (sorry, no time goals). Even though it has dramatically grown in attendance over the years, this race still has a home-town feel to it. As the marathon winds its way through neighborhoods in the mid-miles along Great Northern and Shoal Creek, multitudes of residents throw lawn parties, offering runners home-made treats, and even beer! Here are a few of the sights I remember:

• A music band at ~ mile 3.5, where the course was turning north onto S. 1st, had incorporated a children's choir into a really jammin' tune. I was tempted to just stop and listen.
• On the front porch of some house on Shoal Creek, a little boy (~5-6 yrs old?) had setup up his trap-set and was rock'n-out all of the runners with his high-hat skills.
• My trail running friends of Hill Country Trail Runners club (HCTR) had setup an aid station at mile 22. By far the best aid station on the course. Of course, those ultra-runners know what runners need at that point; fatty foods, sugary drinks that are different from what you've been drinking all day long, hugs, a kick in the bootie, etc.
• It being Valentine's Day, I got a kick out of seeing assorted roses and flowers handed to the lady runners during the day and at the finish line.
• My favorite part of this race had to be running up to and around the Texas Capitol building at the finish. It was kind of majestic.

And now for my race. As usual, I started out too fast. When it is cool, I find that I am impatient to warm up. And then I feel too good to slow down, even though I know I should be conserving energy. But, I did learn something from this mistake; I ran a decent first half marathon (for me), about 2 hours 20 minutes. I sustained a 10 minute mile pace or less for practically the entire first half of the marathon; I did not know I was capable of doing that. Maybe I could maintain that pace for an entire marathon one of these days... ??? And then I slowed down, way down. I had to drop some unwanted weight (gastro-intestinally speaking) at mile 12. I held it until I saw, as Frank Livaudais describes them in his blog, a "blue box of miracles" on 35th street that didn't have a half hour waiting line in front of it. Even though I dutifully take care of my business pre-race, this seems to happen to me often around miles 12-15; I need to watch my sugar in-take. I took the opportunity to take a couple of bites of half a turkey sandwich I was carrying with me (coach Roger Davis' endurance running advice: eat early, eat often).

The slowdown at the halfway point seemed to hit me in a series of waves. I noticed that I have an ankle that starts complaining when I run over 15 miles on asphalt. I say that because it stays relatively quiet when I run the same or greater distances on the trail. I usually can make it go away by simply adjusting my running form for a little while. I'm also used to the achy feeling in the feet; long distance runners' feet naturally swell up after a few hours of running, which is why it is important to wear shoes that are not too snug. But, I was not used to my feet aching this early in a run (~ mile 15 and on). In retrospect, I'm chalking these ankle and foot issues up to not running enough long runs on asphalt during training (regardless of having completed a 50K trail run the prior month). Having been warned about this by Joe Prusaitis, I put in two asphalt 20 mile runs the two weeks prior to the rest week before the marathon, and maintained the rest of my regular trail running schedule. But, in my opinion, that was not enough time on asphalt (and, even though I run an asphalt 8 miler weekly, a road marathoner needs to do long runs on asphalt). Many people blame the hard surface of the road but, I think the repetitive motion contributes just as much to the issue. And, although a road runner can train to be a more resilient asphalt runner, I believe they need to do significant cross-training and exercise to avoid repetitive motion related injuries.

It warmed up quite a bit during the last half of the marathon. I needed to consume quite a few Thermolyte tablets to stay on top of cramps in my "hammies." But, those tablets did their job for me. I saw a lot of runners stopped, trying to stretch out their hamstrings that day. I think a lot of them do not realize the cramps are typically related to an electrolyte shortage, or, mistakenly think they can get enough electrolytes from the Powerade served at the aid stations (at least it's not enough for someone of my ample body mass). But, aches and cramps in my feet and lower calves started to take their toll on me in the last 6 miles. The HCTR aid station at mile 22 was a god-send but, I was down to a turtle-like jog going through the UT campus on the way to the finish in front of the Capitol. I think some runners complain about hills in the last 6 miles of this course; sorry, I really didn't notice any. :-)

The last mile proved to me how unfamiliar I am with this race. Ironically, even with my aching feet and calves, I think I had too much at the end. I was able to pick my knees up and sprint it in once I saw the finish line. Which always makes me think, "Hmm, maybe I should have been running stronger 2 to 4 miles back??? ... hmm..." Oh well, I always have those questions at the end of races. It's what makes you register again next year. :-)

And now to scratch that itch of some road runners reading this article: What was your time?! What was your time?! What was your time?! ;-) I finished around 5 hours. Yes, I probably could have broken 5 hours had I done any number of things differently that day but, I'm happy. I think I managed my race well based on my objectives. No injuries, and I can work on improving my pace over later miles (15 and on) in the next few months. But, honestly, that race hurt! It took my legs 4 to 6 days to fully recover, as opposed to 2 to 3 days after a trail marathon over rugged, rocky terrain. I did mention that I'm primarily a trail runner, right?